More than 100 tonnes of dead fish have so far been recovered from the Tisza, and dead fish are now also being recovered from the Danube in Belgrade.

Extremely serious

According to the Worldwide Fund for Nature, the spill of
over 100,000 cubic metres of cyanide-tainted water from a reservoir at the Aurul gold mine in Baia Mare "ecologically
killed" a vast stretch of waterways.

A volunteer collects dead fish from the River Tisza

A spokesman said 19 species of protected fish live in the Tisza and "this spill has, in practical terms,
eradicated all life" from up to 400km (250 miles) of the river.

A Hungarian official said on Tuesday: "This is an
extremely serious environmental catastrophe. It is not accidental
that it has been compared to Chernobyl. Its effects are equally
impossible to predict."

But Romanian Environment Minister, Romica Tomescu said: "You can absolutely not compare this incident, absolutely regrettable as it is, to the Chernobyl catastrophe."

Compensation

Both Hungary and Yugoslavia are threatening to sue Romania for damages if their demands for compensation are not met.

Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban said on Tuesday: "We are
planning to initiate court action against the Romanian
company and will also initiate one in Australia, against
the parent company.

The cyanide leaked from the Aurul gold mine

"And we are seriously considering one against the Romanian
state," he added.

Hungary has asked the United Nations for an independent team of experts to assess the spill.

A delegation of Australian experts from the Perth-based firm Esmeralda Exploration, which owns 50% of Aurul, is expected to travel to the mine on Wednesday.

The company has denied responsibility for the spill, saying the
extent of poisoning had been exaggerated with no proof to back it
up.

The Serbian Environment Minister Branislav Blazic said there were fears of an environmental graveyard at the bottom of the Tisza.

Mr Blazic said the concentration
of cyanide reached 50 times the maximum tolerable level on
Sunday at one point on the Danube, but on Monday was down to 20
times the maximum tolerable level along the left bank of the
river.

The World Health Organisation expressed concern that lead and cadmium might have also escaped into the water, posing a far greater health threat.